| “The Palestinian leadership is ready to sign a declaration of principles for a peace settlement with Israel,” Palestinian National Authority (PNA) head Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday after a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. According to the Israeli plan, such a declaration should define the contours of a future Palestinian state, without affecting the final borders and fate of Palestinian refugees. During a visit to the West Bank, Rice signed an agreement under which the PNA will receive $80 million from the United States for security reform. Representatives of the Hamas movement, which seized power in the Gaza Strip, said that “the true purpose of the visit of the US Secretary of State is to deepen the rift between the Palestinians.” Maria GRISHINA, Jerusalem
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